Health knowledge made personal
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This has not been a good week in terms of the relationship between me and my digestive system. We've never really been friends. We don't agree on much. I try to feed it with gentle nourishing foods to calm it down, but it is stubborn and does not want to listen to me. No matter what I eat right now, I can't seem to stop the pain. I love my veggies. They are usually good for me and they don't bother my stomach. They are one of the only foods that I can get away with safely. Raw crucifers sometimes cause bloating, so I steam them and then all is well with the world. But right now, even my favourite go-to veggie meals and snacks are just not making Mr. G.I very happy.  Kale, collards, romaine, and other mixed greens with shredded carrot and zucchini, hemp seeds, black beans, and balsamic vinaigrette. Plain salad with romaine, carrot, cherry tomatoes, and cukes. Even my steamed broccoli and cauliflower (with raw carrot in the back) are causing digestive disturbances.(FYI: These veggies are not all from the same day) So what am I supposed to do? Lay off the raw veggies as well as the cooked? What about fruit? Nothing seems to be agreeing with me right now! What am I supposed to eat when this type of thing occurs? I am going to spare you any and all details of the issues I am currently experiencing, and instead share some research that I have been doing to see what I can add to my diet to help my G.I through this. I already use a lot of natural remedies and stomach soothers, but my holistic nutritionist sent me a long list of herbs and spices, some of which I had never tried before. One thing on the list was aloe, which I had heard about before on Meghan Telpner's blog. Yes, aloe...I was a little confused too when I first heard the buzz about this. I had only ever used aloe by rubbing the gel all over the chest of a sunburned former boyfriend. But it turns out that aloe is good for more than just sunburns. It is packed with nutrients, including enzymes, and it has anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties. All these things make it good for your gut. The problem is, how do you make it edible? It doesn't look easy. Its a huge thick plant with inner gel that you have to extract in order to use it. Check out this post from Making Love in the Kitchen for a video tutorial. I'm a little intimidated to attempt this, but I'm not sure...what do you guys think? Some other natural stomach soothers: Anise- Works as a digestive aid. Also contains chemicals similar to estrogen, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your situation. Be careful with this one if you are on the pill. You should consult your doctor first. Catnip- I was shocked to read that this is a healing herb. I have a little box of it and Beau goes crazy for it, but never thought of using it myself. Further research stated that this herb can actually cause stomach upset so the verdict with this one is unclear. Chamomile- Used to treat indigestion and ulcers. Also used as a sedative. Cinnamon- SO many healing properties! Too many to name. Cinnamon is healing for digestive disorders, acne, headaches, blood pressure, and so many more. However, I use a lot of cinnamon and haven't seen any vast improvements yet. Fennel- You can chew fennel seeds as a digestive aid. They smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract and help expel gas. Ginger- I always talk about ginger as a digestive aid. It is very soothing. Some people say it is the best herb for digestion. It helps break down proteins to rid the stomach and intestines of gas, and aids in the digestion of fatty foods. Buy packaged teas with ginger as the main ingredient, or buy fresh ginger and boil a peeled hunk of it in a pot of water. This is how I make homemade ginger tea. Some other healing herbs for digestion: goldenseal, licorice, marshmallow, and peppermint. Anyone else have suggestions or insight? If you were wondering about the title of this post...I had a bad experience with Pepto Bismol once. It has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the product (although I don't get positive results from it and would no longer use it anyway, even without this bad experience) but apparently the active ingredient bismuth subsalicylate in Pepto has a chemical reaction inside your mouth, forming bismuth(II) sulfide. I don't want to gross you guys out, but I woke up one morning with a very scary looking tongue. It was darker and very strange and I freaked out, thinking I had some kind of weird disease. It turned out to be harmless and only the result of this chemical reaction with Pepto Bismol, but the thought of taking it ever again still makes me shudder. No thank you. I will stick to cinnamon, ginger, and probiotics, thankyouverymuch. By the way, in light of yesterdays discussion on tea and coffee, I wanted to ask: have any of you heard of Teeccino ? When I was out today, I came across this herbal coffee drink called Teeccino. It is caffeine free and supposedly tastes like coffee. I bought a little sample packet but haven't tried it yet. I love my tea, but I thought this could be good as a little coffee fix once in a while. If you have ever tried this, let me know what you think! I really hope my posts haven't been too boring lately. I'm just trying to get this tummy stuff sorted out. xoxo Lauren "Your reason and your passion are the rudder and sails of your seafaring soul. If either be broken, you can but toss and drift or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas. For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining. And passion, unattended is a flame that burns to its own destruction." -Kahlil Gibran |
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